Seriously funny: A conversation with 'Flower Girl' director Fatrick Tabada

Have you always wanted to be a writer?  

Yes! Back in college (at the University of San Jose - Recoletos in Cebu), I already knew I wanted to write screenplays. I wrote my first short film (during my college days). It was about two girls falling in love. But my first job was as a journalist, writing hard news. After that, I shifted to corporate writing, and then to advertising. I was working as a copywriter for an event production company in Cebu when my boyfriend—who I’ve been with for 16 years now—got a job offer in Manila. Hindi ko kaya ang long distance relationship, so wala akong choice kundi sumama sa kanya. 

When I got here (in Manila), I enrolled in UP Diliman and took my MA in Film Studies, where I wrote Patay na si Hesus as the final requirement for my screenwriting class. Patay na si Hesus is loosely based on my family. I hadn’t seen my father for 13 years, tapos nabalitaan na lang namin na he died. Sa libing niya, hindi kami umiyak. Poker face kaming magkakapatid, including my mother. A week later, our dog died. We buried him sa likod ng bahay. Lahat kami umiyak habang nililibing namin yung aso. 

How would you describe your style of storytelling? 

Lagi kong naririnig at nababasa na I have this irreverent, raunchy voice sa mga sinusulat ko. I was diagnosed with ADHD. At napansin ko rin na sa storytelling ko, it’s always moving. Laging may nangyayari. I hate boredom, kaya ayaw ko rin na nabobore yung audience ko. As a person, the way I handle problems is through humor. I joke a lot, even in serious situations, and that can be seen in my storytelling style too. Serious topics (are) told in a humorous way. 

How has Visayan culture impacted your work? 

Interesting question! Meron kaming tinatawag na “Bisaya Humor” which, to be honest, hindi ko alam paano i-define. Pero definitely, hindi siya yung nakikita mo sa TV sa mga presscon ng former president, spewing misogynistic jokes. I-clear ko lang, that’s not Bisaya humor. Siguro, yung humor namin is tougher, harsher, more raw because it always comes from a place of love.

What would you say are recurring themes in your films? 

I always want to tell queer stories. Halos lahat ng mga sinulat ko are either queer or may queer characters. I don’t know. Maybe it just comes naturally as a queer filmmaker? Also, even if I’m writing straight love stories, I still consider them queer stories, since I’m queer and I view them through a queer lens. 

Your sense of humor has been described as irreverent. Do you think this is an accurate description?  

To be fair, all good comedy should be irreverent. Comedy, like any other form of art, should push the envelope. It should challenge and make fun of the status quo. I take comedy seriously. I love comedies. At hindi ako basta-basta natatawa, actually. So yes, ako mismo ang ultimate test sa sarili kong jokes. Pero seriously, mahirap ang comedy. For it to be funny and effective, it needs to be grounded in really solid drama. There’s this quote from Phoebe Waller-Bridge—“Disarm the audience with comedy, then punch them in the gut with drama when they least expect it.” Ganda.

Do you consider yourself a funny person?  

Hmm. I actually don’t, but I’m always described as the funny one by my friends. I love cracking jokes. I’m not comfortable with silences so nabuburden ako pag tahimik. So, I need to tell jokes. Kapag sinasabihan ako na, “I love your sense of humor,” lagi kong sinasagot na, “Oh really? You know what, this humor comes with at least two mental disorders.” Which is true, by the way.

What inspired Flower Girl?  

I grew up in an all-female household—with my single mom, two sisters, lola, and one aunt. Kaya I really enjoy telling stories na bida ang mga babae. Flower Girl was inspired by the discrimination that trans women often face, especially when it comes to using the restroom. I mean, gusto lang naman nila umihi. Pati pag-ihi, we take that away from them. It made me think about how we often reduce a man or a woman to their genitals.

As a gay man, guilty rin ako dito. In some ways, I see myself in Ena, not the transphobic part but in how I used to reduce myself and others to what’s between our legs. So, I started asking: What if that part of me was gone? Would I stop being who I am? Mawawala na rin ba ang pagkatao ko? Hindi ko rin talaga inexpect na ma-produce ito. Pero grabe yung bilib ni Direk Perci at Direk Jun sa kwento. Minsan nga, mas bilib pa sila sa kwento ng Flower Girl kaysa ako mismo. Honestly, I can’t imagine any other producers bringing this to life but IdeaFirst!

Flower Girl is your solo directorial debut. Have you always wanted to direct? 

Pag tinatanong ako kung bakit ako nag-direk na, lagi kong sagot: "I’m tired of seeing other directors butchering my scripts. It’s about time I butcher it myself." With Flower Girl, I fell in love with directing again. First love ko pa rin ang screenwriting, pero love ko na rin ang directing. I can love them both nang sabay naman. Writing is a solitary job. It’s just you and your laptop. With directing, you get to collaborate with your actors, producer, cinematographer, assistant director, and other people. And that adrenaline rush you feel on set? (It’s) the best. 

How did you end up working with IdeaFirst?  

Nag-apply ako sa CinePanulat, a screenwriting workshop ni Direk Jun Lana. All-expense paid kasi ang workshop, kaya thousands ang nag-apply pero 20 lang ang kukunin. Hindi ako nag-expect na makuha. Almost one year na ako sa Manila noon at wala pa rin akong matinong trabaho. Binubuhay ako ng boyfriend ko that time—siya nagbabayad ng rent at lahat. Kaya sabi ko, uuwi muna ako ng Cebu temporarily.  

Pagka-land ko sa Mactan-Cebu Airport, nakatanggap ako ng text from Direk Jun Lana. I was one of the twenty writing fellows. Sabi ko, "OMG, kakaland ko lang sa Cebu, pero late ka nag-text, Direk!" Charot. So ayun, bumalik ulit ako sa Manila para umatend ng workshop. And you know what? One of the best decisions of my life. Sa CinePanulat ko na-discover kung sino talaga ako bilang storyteller. Tinuruan kami ni Direk Jun to be authentic. Kung bakla akong pumasok sa workshop, mas naging bakla akong lumabas. Chos.  

After the workshop, kinuha na nila ako as in-house creative. May isang Fatrick na naghahasik ng lagim sa industriya, kasalanan yan ng Cinepanulat ni Direk Jun Lana, at ni Direk Perci Intalan.  

In a Facebook post, you were described by Direk Jun Lana as “a voice meant to reshape the conversation, an artistic force that the film industry needs right now.” What was your reaction to this?  

Sabi ng boyfriend ko, mali raw ang spelling ni Direk Jun ng salitang artistic. Dapat daw autistic force. Which is true, since I’m on the spectrum. But anyway, enough of the oversharing.

Nagulat ako nang pinost yun ni Direk Jun. He’s known to be honest when it comes to giving feedback, so I was really flattered. Na-pressure ako noong una, yes. Pero narealize ko— Direk Jun accepted me into his workshop, then he even invited me to be part of IdeaFirst. The least I can do is to pay it forward by telling authentic stories.  And now that I’m starting to direct, I’ll do my best to live up to that expectation. And if the time comes na marating ko kahit kalahati lang ng naabot ni Direk Jun, I hope I’ll have the will to nurture new voices and artistic forces that can reshape conversations and help improve the film industry.